Topic outline

  • The course is provided in English as video lectures. The students are welcome to join the lecture parts where home assignments and essays are gone through/supervised by the lecturer and assistants.

    Main lecturer Hanna Renvall, Dept of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, hanna.renvall@aalto.fi, tel. 050-5010326

    Course assistants: Verna Heikkinen verna.heikkinen@aalto.fi, Pietari Nurmi pietari.nurmi@aalto.fi, Maria Peltonen maria.a.peltonen@aalto.fi, Sara Tuomaala sara.tuomaala@aalto.fi 

    Contacts: Via the website or by e-mail 

    Course objectives

    -- Understand the main functional principles within human organ systems and their relationships
    -- Recognize the pivotal anatomy related to main organic systems
    -- Understand the main regulatory mechanisms among human physiological systems
    -- Recognize the current techniques and principles in examining human physiological functions 

     

    Teaching material

    - Lectures (as videos and pdfs)

    - Course literature: Tortora’s Principles of Anatomy and Physiology/Wiley: Chapters 1, 3, 4, 10, 11.1-11.3, 12, 13.1-13.2, 13.7, 14-18, 19.1-19.7, 20-21.7, 23-27

    Course grading   

    Either 3 essays and 5 returned exercises during the course, OR final exam (first possibility for the final exam 16.4.2024)

    The grade weighting: essays 50%, exercises 50%; both are graded 1-5 and both parts should be passed

    Possibility for +1 in the final grade by returning a learning diary that includes
    -- Short description of the most important things you have learned
    -- Things that have remained unclear to you in the course lectures/topics
    -- Deepening of some of the course topics or of a related topic in a freely-chosen format (e.g. essay, own illustration, own video)

    The instructions and return boxes for the essays and exercises will appear at the website ~2-3 weeks before the deadlines. 

    Timetable 

    For the video lectures, the dates refer to the day when the videos are available at latest at the course website.

    9.1. Lecture 1: Introduction to physiology: 
             basic concepts, homeostasis and fluid balance, imaging in physiology 

    16.1. Lecture 2: Cells and tissues, with special reference to nerve and muscle tissues

    23.1. Lecture 3: The cardiovascular system
             - at 14.15 preparation for 1. home essay in the lecture hall

            - Deadline for 1. essay on 26.1. at 23.59

    30.1. Lecture 4:  The endocrine system and metabolism

    6.2. Lecture 5: Central and peripheral nervous system, motor control in humans

    13.2.  Preparation for 1. and 2. home assignments with the assistants in the lecture hall
          
              - Deadline for 1. and 2. home assignments on 23.2. at 23.59

    27.2. Lecture 6: Digestion and the urinary system 
             - at 14.15  Preparation for 3. home assignment and 2. essay with the assistants in the lecture hall

      5.3. Lecture 7: Respiration
     
            - Deadline for 3. home assignment and 2. essay on 10.3. at 23.59

    12.3. Lecture 8: Sensory systems

    19.3. Lecture 9: Autonomic nervous system; sleep and circadian rhythm 
            - at 14.15 preparation for 4. and 5. home assignments with the assistants in the lecture hall

             - Deadline for 4. and 5. home assignments on 28.3. at 23.59

    26.3. Lecture 10: Development and aging in organ systems & summary of the course
             - at 14.15 preparation for 3. essay with the assistants in the lecture hall
     
             - Deadline for 3. essay on 7.4. at 23.59

    9.4. Laboratory visit (voluntary, Doodle registration will be provided later) 1-hour groups between 15-20

    28.4. Deadline for the optional learning diary

    (16.4. exam)